Across The Universes
by stupideffinrope
Summary: They were both needed but they had not been where they were supposed to be. Now Anya and Tara have found themselves in a new universe entirely and they're not quite sure why, but they're going to join a company to aid a little hobbit in undertaking a nearly impossible journey to save their world as well as finding their own place in it.
1. Chapter 1

**Just spontaneously got the idea to write this when I was watching Lord of the Rings yesterday. I'll be using the Lord of the Rings movies, and possibly carrying onto an alternative plot afterwards, I'll see how this does. Anya was always one of my favourite characters and I near enough flooded my room crying when Tara died, so I wanted to have a story with the two of them. I was tempted to put Cordelia into it but I couldn't figure out a way to work her into the story. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this.**

Everything had suddenly turned white and not like the smooth, clean sheets kind of white either. This was a glowing, powerful, annoying whiteness. She was now standing in an endless amount of it when not even one minute ago she was fighting off disgusting, ugly deformed vampires, minions of the First and all, inside the school halls with Andrew while the others went off to fight the big, bad nasty and to their very probable deaths even with Buffy pla-

"Hang on" Anya held up her hands as a sudden notion appeared in her head and the twice former vengeance demon could feel a slight boil in her blood if her suspicions became true. Slowly, she lowered her hands from the top of her head downwards. There was nothing until her hands reached the bottom of her neck where she felt a slight dampness. It continued down and across her whole torso, seeping into her clothing. Lifting her hands once more, almost too afraid of what she would see, Anya saw that her hands were stained a crimson colour she was all too familiar with. She never knew there was no feeling of pain after it happened, no the only pain she could imagine would be the throbbing vein in her neck at her irritation "Oh crap, I'm dead!" She pouted.

"Anya?"

"What?" Anya jumped. She could have sworn she was alone in this-whatever it was. What was it actually? If it was heaven, shouldn't there be something good, like lots and lots of money, around? If it was heaven, wouldn't Xander be standing beside her right now? Without a second thought, Anya called what was on the tip of her tongue "Xander?"

The voice echoed once again "Anya, it is you, isn't it?" And immediately Anya's slightly heightened heart sank, she couldn't tell who the voice was as distorted as it was, but it was more than enough to tell her it wasn't Xander. But who else could it be?

As if to answer her question, a presence was nearing Anya from behind. Whoever it was had finally appeared from the glowing whiteness around them. Always too curious for her own good, perhaps from being a part of the scoobies for so long, Anya whipped around to face the mysterious stranger only to have her jaw nearly connect with the floor when it dropped open. It certainly wasn't a stranger. Not in the least.

"T-Tara?" Anya spluttered out, looking at the fallen witch who now looked almost like a Goddess, clad in her beautiful white corseted dress. It was the only thing that Anya could think of to say without sounding like a complete idiot. Well her answers were slowly beginning to form; she knew she was definitely dead now. But there was something she had to do before anything else could be said or done. Without giving Willow's former lover so much as a warning, Anya launched herself forward into a powerful hug that caught poor Tara completely by surprise. She let go almost as quickly as she had attached herself "It's good to see you not dead, or it's good to see you when I'm dead too"

"Thanks?" Tara chuckled a little nervously, looking around her "So I really am dead? I thought I might be, first popping up with bloody messiness and then suddenly 'poof' in this really pretty dress. It all kinda makes sense to me now. Oh no, but that means-Anya you died?"

"Well yeah, of course you're dead, unfortunately so am I and I can't figure out a way to get back" Anya paused briefly "You've only just worked it out you're dead? Good lord, you've been dead for a year and that's all you could manage?"

Tara's eyes turned to the size of saucers and she used her all too familiar stutter "A y-y-year, I've been dead a year already? But it hasn't felt like more than a day" The witch gulped back her sudden confusion "What's going on here? Are you the only one who got here? Willow?" The last word left her lips so naturally yet with so much fear that Anya just wanted to break down and cry, to tell Tara about everything that happened since her death and seek comfort in the fact that she had died.

"I think I'm the only one" Anya gently placed a hand on her shoulder "Willow's still probably being the little trooper that she is, fighting that battle" It wasn't until she finished talking that Anya realized her mistake. Tara's eyes were beginning to widen with panic once again and Anya mentally slapped herself "What I mean is, whatever's going on, we would probably know what happened to any of them. We've got our own problems right now" She motioned wildly to the never ending space around them.

Nodding, Tara swung the hem of her dress gently "Well it wasn't long after I got here that my clothes went changed and…" She trailed off as Anya's bloodied top began to glow, engulfing her in a warm feeling almost like she was once again alive. How had she not noticed the cold of her body? Of course it was cold, she was dead after all but this warmth was so welcoming and Anya let herself go to it, she told herself that it was alright that she had died. There was no way back, and she suddenly knew that it would only cause her more grief if she tried to fight against death. When she opened her eyes, she too was now clad in a white cardigan and white trousers but completely barefoot, her wound completely gone. She turned to Tara with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"You look…clean" Tara smiled gently but her face slowly melted into seriousness "There isn't a way back" She knew, she had tried to think as much as she could from the moment she had appeared there, she had tried to find her way back to her baby, her Willow. But like Anya seemed to realize, Tara too had found out that she wasn't likely to ever return home, much less see her beloved again. Somewhere within her being, her heart was no doubt shattering yet this place seemed to deny her the ability to grieve…And Tara wasn't sure that was a good thing.

Anya only shook her head and heaved a sigh as a response before a resolve face reminding Tara of Willow, spread across Anya's face "But there's still the question of where the heck we are and what we're doing here" It seemed like it was a day when all of Anya's questions were being answered for a glow so intense that it had no distinct colour was forming before the two women, it was so powerful that they both had to shield their eyes.

A womanly figure was stepping out of it, and as the flare began to die down, her features were appearing. Blonde hair, playful yet wise eyes, and a face so similar to that of the slayer that both young women knew and loved. The figure had her signature playful smile on her face "Well, it's about time both of you got here, I thought you would never show up. Took a little while longer to die than it was planned, huh Anya?"

"Joyce!" They both cried in unison. Tara then stepped forward, looking the mother of the slayer up and down. She looked exactly as she did when she had died, except that she too was adorned in the simplest of white dresses that accentuated her natural beauty. Finally, Tara spoke.

"Mrs. Summers, what's going on, we know we're dead but where are we?" She asked timidly.

"Is this some kind of heavenly dimension" Anya brought up the question that was plaguing her mind. She already knew that if this was meant to be heaven, it sucked.

Joyce smiled at each of them in turn and then placed a hand on each other their shoulders "I'm sorry that it had to be you two, you both still had a lot to live for in our universe but you're the only two who could help. It's an honor"

Although it all sounded like a horrible tangle of information, one bit of Joyce's so claimed welcome stuck out to her. In _our_ universe? "What do you mean, there's just the one and god knows how many parallel worlds and dimensions inside it. There can't be more than one universe"

"But there is" Joyce's smile turned a little grave "There are several actually as far as I've been told and each one is very differently made to our own one. Some also have endless dimensions, some only have one but I can't know too much, I'm just your guide for this place before I get sent back to where I belong with the Powers That Be. Oh Anya, Tara" Her eyes flicked between them fondly "There's things even more powerful than the powers out there, and they almost never interfere, just let the universes go their own way, under the laws of those that live in them. But this time, they've sensed that something isn't right, you two aren't where you're supposed to be, not anymore at least. You've played your parts in the universe of the Slayer, of the Powers That Be but now something wants you to go where you're truly supposed to be. That's why they've interfered for the first time in an age and used a significant amount of their power to tear a hole into the universes so you can step out of one and into another, it takes a lot of their power and it's not even done for the likes of the Slayer"

"But Mrs. Summers, who are they? And why are you here, wherever here is?" Tara was beginning to feel overwhelmed with the information being fed to them. If even the Slayer wasn't considered worthy of the power that was used for Anya and Tara, then what made them so special?

"I don't know Tara, I wish I knew what kind of power this was but I don't, it's beyond any of us, far beyond our understanding" Joyce took several steps back "I just know that this place is the Void, the space between spaces or something. It's the border of every universe where nothing really exists, not even good or evil. I was instructed to wait here for you until you both died, which even the Powers weren't sure of. But they needed someone to guide you girls in the right direction and the Powers brought me to Them, thinking that a familiar face might make it easier. Listen girls" Joyce turned her back to them "I can feel the amount of power that its taking to keep the tear open long enough for you to jump, it's colossal and I don't think it'll ever been done again any time soon, if you know what I mean. Whatever they sensed must mean that everything is really out of balance to throw you around. You need to go to where you're now supposed to be but if there's one thing they refuse to control, it's free will so you can only go if you want, just know that you can't return to our universe either, you can only choose to stay here"

"You mean wander this annoying, squeaky clean place for all eternity and beyond?" Anya raised her eyebrows, finally getting a sense of the situation but unlike Tara she seemed a little less panicked. If it was really as Joyce said, and in all honest it all made sense to Anya, then there was nothing else to be done "No thanks, I'm good to move on"

Tara looked to Anya nervously "If we can't go back, then we can't sit here either. If we're really needed somewhere, then we have to go, it's what Willow would have done too" At this, Joyce turned her head back to the girls once more with a sad smile on her face before she began walking off into where the light seemed to almost be thinning.

"Then follow me, I will lead you to where you're supposed to be"

It felt like they had walked for an eternity, or perhaps not at all. Joyce had not been kidding when she said that all manner of space and time didn't exist in this place. Anya was beginning to feel like she was just caught in a loop that didn't stop and Tara was on the verge of simply dropping to her knees out confusion and frustration. But eventually they reached the line of darkness that was piercing the whiteness. It was literally just a line that couldn't have been much thicker than a hair.

Joyce stopped about a foot ahead of the two women. She had not spoken the entire time, none of them had, but now she turned to them with that same sad smile across her mature and beautiful face "This is as far as I can go, I can't go any further with you girls and it's time for me to return to our own universe. I'll miss you girls" She stretched out her arms to hug each of them tightly "The ones that are sending you to this universe say they'll not interrupt anymore after that and whatever your fate will be, they'll let it happen as it should so I just know I'll never see either of you again, so please take care of yourselves and each other wherever you end up-Promise me and promise each other"

"We promise Mrs. Summers" Tara let go, looking a somewhat unsure and afraid. But Anya, in one of her moments of humanly compassion, grabbed Tara's shaking hand in her own equally shaken one once she had released Joyce too.

"Yeah, yeah, we swear Joyce, you worry too much" She laughed nervously "We've kicked the Big Bad down before and we'll do it again no matter where we go. I just hope I get paid for it since I can never go home again"

No more words were said as Joyce let out a small chuckle and began to once more fade into that bright, harsh light but this time, all the whiteness around them seemed to collapsing to complete darkness almost as if they were falling away from Joyce, like they had slipped and fallen into that tiny strip of darkness. Neither girl was sure about what happened first. Did they fall into unconsciousness first or did the falling sensation in the pit of their stomachs get that category beat?

It was the hard slam of their bodies colliding with the ground that first alerted them that they were back in something more materialistic than the 'space between spaces' and then of course the winded pain that daringly followed was also a big hint. Still with eyes closed, they gasped in breaths of air. Accompanying much needed oxygen was also the powerful scent of grass, trees, nature.

"Anya?" Tara spoke her name plainly, knowing her companion would be there.

"Yeah?" Anya brought her hands up to her forehead, still taking in deep breaths. Even the smell of nature was welcoming, it reminded her of the good old days when she first became a vengeance demon and went anywhere in the world, even the wilds, to punish men.

"That really hurt" Tara had a hint of humor in her voice. She too was enjoying the sweet smell entering her nose. A hearty chuckle next to her told her that Anya found that statement as amusing as she did. Finally both women cracked their eyes open and were greeted by a blue sky and sunshine obscured by the tree tops above them. Some of the lower branches were snapped and singed as if something burned them. Tara had no doubt it was them that did it when they 'fell' through.

"So, where are we?" Anya slowly sat up as she felt the air now back in her body and only a dull throb of pain in her back. Looking to Tara and then down at herself, she saw that their white clothing was no longer on them but now they wore more exactly what they had worn when they died. Tara was back in her simple blue top and jeans while Anya was back in her red top with the grey jacket over the top. The only difference was that neither one of them was bleeding anymore and the clothes were clean.

Tara too seemed to notice this and stood up, brushing the fallen leaves from herself "I'm not sure, we're in some kind of forest"

"Oh really? I wasn't sure what this was called" Anya said quickly but not harshly, if she had learned one thing over time was that Tara was sweet and, at times, sensitive little thing.

"I think we might be able to get a better look from over there, I think it's a cliff edge so we might be up pretty high" Tara pointed in the direction she was looking in "At least we could figure out a direction to go" And like that the young witch began to lead the way with Anya following closely behind.

"Awful nice of those super great inter-universal powers to just drop us off in the middle of nowhere without so much as a hint as to what we're supposed to do!" By the end of this rant, Anya was now yelling out at the sky as if she thought they'd be listening "Thanks a lot! If we were back on earth, I would sue their asses for every penny they have"

"Shh" Tara held back a giggle, gently trying to be the sensible one as they neared the cliff edge. Immediately, she was awestruck by rolling forest landscape before them. From here, she could see waterfalls and mountains in the distance. At first she thought her eyes were fooling her but she spotted what really was, and looked like, a gorgeous palace or court in the middle of the woods not too far away from they were. Keeping her voice low, Tara voiced her concerns about Anya's loud voice even though she had suddenly become silent "We don't know what kind of animals could be in this forest, this world even"

In response, she felt a tug on her sleeve "Ones with pointy ears and even pointier looking weapons?" Anya's nervous voice as well as curious question turned Tara's attention. And she found herself facing about six or seven bows and arrows in her face, being held by some of the most beautiful beings either of them had ever seen. However, their gazes as well as posture was anything but beautiful, they seemed tense, hostile and suspicious.

One of them, a tall guy with his shining auburn hair tied in a semi-ponytail, stepped forward with a voice of authority and perhaps a tinge of curiosity "Who or what are you, strange ones? And what brings you to Rivendell?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and here's me firing the next one at y'all. Enjoy!**

x-x-x

Anya and Tara moved closer to each other under the powerful gaze of the group of creatures that had silently ambushed them. Whatever they were, these creatures had the most beautiful human faces, the only noticeable difference being their pointed ears. No, that wasn't accurate, the beauty of these creatures was inhuman, no mortal could be this beautiful-It was other worldly. And it wasn't just their appearance that set them apart from humans, their presence was somehow different. Perhaps it was the precision with which they held the bows trained perfectly on the two young women without a fault?

After one of them spoke, which immediately eased Tara a little considering they might be able to talk their way out of the situation, Anya became a little braver and took the tiniest step in front of Tara. Like a motion detector, the bows were even more strained after her slight movement was unwelcome. Anya slowly raised her hands "Whoa there!" She said "I'm not doing anything, please don't shoot. We're…uh…"

"My companion and I are just travelers, we're human" Tara cut in when Anya seemed lost for words. As she stood slightly taller than Anya, she placed a hand on the former demon's shoulder in order to calm her down a little. She wanted answers and it seemed the best way was to cooperate with the dangerous creatures holding the dangerous weapons "Honest, we're simply lost. Can you please tell us, what is Rivendell?"

The auburn haired creature who spoke first raised one of his brows "You do not know of Rivendell? It is the home of Lord Elrond, of elves" Both women did a double take at this as if he had just told them the Slayer was right behind them. Elves? He waved his hand and the rest of his followers slightly lowered their weapons "You claim to be mortals? Yet you are so strangely dressed, unlike any mortal I have seen. These are troubled times and many spies of the Dark Lord pass throughout the world"

Already reeling from having to absorb so much information about elves, mortals and a Dark Lord, Tara raised her hands in a similar manner to Anya to clarify the most important part "We're not any kind of spies; I said that we are lost travelers"

"Perhaps you are and perhaps you are not" Spoke the auburn haired elf with his tone back in place "Only Lord Elrond will know what to do with people who foolishly wander around the woods of Rivendell. You will come with us, strange ones or you will perish"

"What? Hey buddy-" Anya began, taking a step forward but silenced under the bows that were raised once again.

"We will follow you" Tara gave Anya a meaningful look that said it was better to be quiet and live rather than dying almost as soon as they were revived. When the smaller of the two nodded in understanding, they followed the group under careful watch through the endless curtain of trees.

x-x-x

"I can't believe this, ten minutes in this place and we're already gonna be prisoners for life" Anya was fidgeting with her hands from her spot on the bench and giving nervous looks to the elf stationed to watch over them until someone arrived to question them.

"I don't know, this doesn't look like such a bad place to be a prisoner in, it's so beautiful" Ever the optimist, Tara was still looking at the unimaginable beauty of Rivendell. She thought that it had looked so from far away but once they had arrived, it definitely struck her that they were in another world. Nothing on Earth was as beautiful as the mountain forests that surrounded them. The white, marble-like rock of the mountains gently shone in the afternoon sun while the rushing water from the nearby waterfalls and rivers glistened like diamonds. Then there was Rivendell itself, where the very last intricate detail of the buildings looked like they had been carved from the rock itself. Statues were scattered in many places, so finely crafted were they that it looked like they had been the living beings themselves encased in stone, and ivy gently climbed everywhere so that everything blended together. It seemed like the most peaceful place in the world to Tara.

"Well, you never know" Anya shrugged, suppressing her own amazement at the natural wonder that surrounded her.

To their left, two figures suddenly emerged from beyond an archway. Two men. Or rather, an elf and a tall, elderly man. The elf was dressed in deep red and brown earthy-toned robes that barely moved as he walked, such was the grace of an elf. Though his face was stern, like all elves he was still handsome despite obviously being older than many of the elves they had seen so far. The thing that stood out the most about him to Anya was the silver, diadem-like headpiece that he wore which signified his importance.

"Lord Elrond!" Their guard stood even straighter if it were possible "These are the strangers that were caught close by" But even this guards eyes wandered over the old man standing beside Elrond, just as Tara and Anya's "You have arrived Gandalf"

The one named Gandalf looked tired and ragged, like he had returned from a horrible place and hadn't seen any peace in a long time. For a few seconds, Anya dreaded that this was another captive and his fate would be theirs. But the way their guard was looking at the old man in the pointed hat with such respect, as well as the fact that he was registered as just having arrived, made Anya realize that it was unlikely. Gandalf's eyes which were weary only seconds ago fixed on the two women who were now nervously looking between him and Elrond. Unless it was a trick of the light, the smallest smile danced across his face and his eyes gained a new brightness.

"Oh" He turned to Elrond "You have some interesting guests"

Elrond was now looking between Gandalf and the women "You say you are not spies but I have never seen mortals such as yourselves"

"We have already said, we're travelers" Anya crossed her arms.

"Where is it that you travel from?"

"From far beyond here" Surprisingly it was Gandalf who spoke up, something which both Tara and Anya were grateful for as they were completely clueless on how to answer Elrond's question. When Tara locked eyes with the old man, they seemed to tell her that he knew more about them than anyone in the room "They are no spies, I can assure you. Their people are a dwindling city not far from the Iron Hills in the east. So few of them are there that it's a surprise for even me to see them, not that there were many of those men to begin with" Whatever this man was saying, it seemed to be convincing Elrond or at least satisfying him for the time being.

"And you would speak for them?"

"Yes" Gandalf gave them a smile "They are no more spies than you or I, no doubt these maidens were simply fleeing their homeland in search of the world around them. It does not surprise me that they know so little of the world"

"Uh, yeah, we were looking for a better place to live and we got so lost…" Anya trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

"It is just as Gandalf says, we mean no harm to Rivendell" Tara finished off with a smile.

"How is it that two mortals managed to travel so far in these troubled times" Elrond looked between the two of them once again, though this time he seemed more curious rather than suspicious.

It was Anya's turn to come up with an answer "We might not look it but we're more powerful than we appear. We have ways of defending ourselves, these are dangerous times afterall" She added vaguely.

"Yes, they are indeed" Gandalf added "I am afraid that I must rest for a while now. Frodo has not arrived yet?"

"No, Arwen had left to search for Aragorn not a day before you came to Rivendell. If Aragorn has found Frodo, then Arwen will bring them back" Now that the conversation was turning to subjects that Tara and Anya didn't dream of understanding, the two of them looked between each other. Were they cleared of being spies? What would happen to them now?

"Good, good" Gandalf said, snapping the women back to them "Tomorrow morning, after we have all rested, I wish to speak to both…" He paused realizing that he did not know either of their names.

"Anya Harri-" Anya paused, the smile briefly leaving her face. Firmly replacing it with another, she continued "Anya Jenkins"

"I-I'm T-Tara Maclay" Tara was torn between looking at the old man with slight admiration and concern for Anya.

"Such strange names" Gandalf remarked with amusement "In the morning I wish to speak to both of you" And just like that, the old man was leaving back through the archway from which he had come.

Elrond directed the elf that had been watching them "Bring them to beds so that they may rest" And without giving so much as another look he too walked, or almost floated rather, back the way he had arrived.

The elf then turned to walk in another direction through another archway "There are some beds which the Lady Tara and the Lady Anya may use" He waited until Anya and Tara were following him.

"Ooh, we're being called Ladies now" There was now heavy amusement playing around in Anya's voice and Tara couldn't suppress a giggle. Yes, if it was the two of them together, they'd get through getting accustomed to this world somehow.

x-x-x

When the breeze woke Anya the next morning, she was tempted to call out to Xander to close the window or ask if Andrew was sneaking around the rooms again. But when the sound of rushing water and a peaceful stillness rushed over her, Anya cracked her eyes open. She wasn't in Buffy's house, Xander wasn't anywhere in sight and there was certainly no Andrew about. All she could see was the outline of a taller curvy woman standing in the archway leading into the room, silhouetted against the morning sun and the beautiful material used as curtains bellowing around in the gentle wind. She was also aware that she had the most comfortable night's sleep she'd had in a long time.

"Tara?" She caught the attention on the witch standing, admiring the view. Tara had been up long before Anya, too excited and bewildered to sleep longer than she needed to. The morning rays had caught her quickly and the curtains that danced around in the slight breeze had been beckoning her to get up. She had looked over to see that Anya was still in a deep sleep on the opposite bed and so she had quietly snuck out of her bed to watch the sunrise. Somehow, the beauty of the place had caught her and she ended up being rooted to the spot a long time after the sun had risen.

"H-Hey, Anya, sleep well?"

"Better than well considering we're stuck in another universe with no hope of returning home" Anya sighed "Hey, Tara, I was thinking about something before we went to sleep. If we're in a different universe, does that mean the rules we're used to don't apply?"

"What do you mean?" Tara cocked her head to the side.

Anya rolled her eyes as she willed herself to get out of the bed "I mean, what are the universal rules here, like if there's such things as elves, does magic exist here? Do we still have our own abilities or have our bodies changed to fit with the 'rules' here? Because I don't know about you but I liked my body the way it was"

Tara seemed to contemplate what Anya had just said "Well, I haven't really tried using magic since we got here, I completely forgot about it to be honest. But if the rules of using magic _are_ different here then I'm afraid of what'll happen so I'm gonna wait until after we talk to Gandalf, he seems to know a little about what's happened to us, I'm sure of it. Until then, no magic, I don't want it to effect me the way it used to with Willow"

"_I'll_ say, I can't deal with another 'Dark Willow' on my hands" Anya then realized her mistake when Tara spun around on her toes to look Anya squarely in the eye. Something in her stomach told her Anya was hesitant about talking about Willow.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Tara, sweetie, there's some stuff that I've gotta tell you about after you died. It isn't pretty so brace yourself"

x-x-x

Somewhere between calming a nearly hysterical Tara and trying to contain her own tears at the memories of what had happened, Anya recounted the events between Tara's death and her own; Dark Willow, the First Evil, Potentials, Buffy's plan to stop the First and also Willow moving on to forming a relationship with Kennedy. However, Tara didn't seem too surprised at that part. As soon as she heard that it had been almost a year since her death, she'd actually hoped that Willow wasn't holding on and grieving, especially now that they were never going to see each other again.

"I can't believe she killed someone" Tara kept her hands over her mouth "I knew that magic was too dangerous for Willow"

"But she got past it!" Anya clapped Tara on the shoulder in her own uncomfortable and awkward way "She was very well behaved with magic after that. Now, please stop crying, salty eyes are making me feel uncomfortable."

Tara only shook her head, thinking heavily about the burden that magic had caused on her and the people she knew. How could she ever dream to use it now? It couldn't happen, even if she was able to use magic.

"So, I was right" A wise old voice spoke behind them and they both swiveled to see Gandalf standing in the archway to their new room "You two do not come from this world, I sensed it as soon as I saw you. You were brought here by very powerful magic, magic I have not seen in an age, yet you seem to fit somehow. I cannot say I know much more but I imagine you must be feeling weary and afraid. Please, allow me to formally welcome you to Middle-Earth, you are most welcome"

"So you did know?" Anya stood from her spot of kneeling in front of Tara and joined her friend on the bed.

"Yes" Gandalf was leaning a wooden staff "Though I must say, the world from which you came sounds almost as dangerous it is here"

"I was gonna ask you, what's all this about…" Anya sat up straight and put on a mocking stern voice as she mimicked what she saw to be an elf "Troubled times, dangerous, Dark Lord and blah, blah, blah" Though her imitation had earned her a chuckle from Gandalf and a trace of a smile on the distressed Tara, it seemed Gandalf was confused by the use of the word 'blah'.

"There is an evil growing in the south, in the land of Mordor" Gandalf looked between them gravely "The Dark Lord Sauron is returning to the world after he was thought to be destroyed and he seeks the One Ring, an object which granted him great power in the past and would ensure his dominion over every race on Middle-Earth" Though it was still a little confusing, both Tara and Anya felt a chill run up their spine at the mention of the name Sauron and the One Ring, a slight tingle even.

"Well, does anyone know where this ring is? Wouldn't it be good to just destroy it?" Anya said almost impatiently.

"It was found, by the most unlikely person imaginable" Gandalf nodded "And is on its way here in the hands of Frodo Baggins, a hobbit of the Shire. A council will gather to determine what will be done with the ring"

"A h-hobbit?" Tara spoke up as she raised a confused eyebrow "You mean, like a dwarf?"

"No, dwarves are usually slightly larger than hobbits and prefer to live in mountains, hobbits are probably one of the most peaceful peoples of Middle Earth, and they very rarely like to leave the Shire. Which is why I said that the ring was found by the most unlikely person; it was a hobbit who also found the One Ring many years ago in hands of a creature named Gollum, a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. He is currently here in Rivendell as we speak if you would wish to meet him" Gandalf motioned with his staff to the outside. Immediately Tara's eyes followed the movement of the staff and Gandalf noticed "Do feel the magic I possess? I heard Lady Anya say that you use magic too, in your world you were a witch. I am, in easiest words, a wizard"

"I thought so" Tara nodded, confirming that she did indeed feel the magic that was emanating from the staff "But I'm afraid to use magic here, I don't know what the consequences would be"

"My dear" Gandalf's face immediately took on a grandfatherly look "Magic is not a burden in this world, nor is it something unnatural. Magic is what makes up most of the world; it is a part of every living creature, both good and evil. Magic is not an evil, only those who choose to use it so are evil. I do not know how magic worked in your world but it is not something that can control an individual here"

"But that means…" Tara trailed off as a scary notion crossed her mind.

"If Tara can still use magic, then she doesn't have to worry about the magic becoming addicting like it did back in our universe" Anya rounded on Tara with wide eyes "You have to try it Tara, go, right now" She urged. Tara, however still looked terrified by the idea of it, how could magic not have a limit? What kind of crazy world was this that magic was allowed to be used with so little care?

"Anya, I can't-" But this time, Anya cut her off by tightly grabbing her hands and putting on a slightly more assertive tone.

"Listen Tara" She frowned "We're not in our world anymore and we're just going to have to get over that. In our world people have to be careful about how they use magic because it doesn't come naturally and they get carried away with it, it was made that way for people like Willow who need a limit on their power, people like you who are so careful with it need to embrace it in a world like this. Maybe that's one of the reasons we were sent here, so that you could discover your own true power without worrying about things like consequences, yet you're honest and humble enough to still not use it all the time" The former demon added with a smile.

Tara was still biting her lip nervously but she shook off Anya's hands "Okay, I'll try" She began to mutter a simple spell under her breath after she reached for a feather that had fallen out of her pillow. If all went well, the feather would begin to float. Smiling, she closed her eyes as she completed the spell and then opened them again only to see that the feather hadn't moved. A rush of disappointment coursed through her, after Anya's encouragement, she was beginning to think that maybe it would have worked after all. So she couldn't use magic here. The disappointment was replaced by slight frustration when she thought about how useless she'd now be. Sighing and reaching out to walk past Gandalf to get some air, she brushed against his staff and it was almost like the anger she was feeling was made real. She felt it suddenly burn through her entire body, focusing on the annoying feather still held in her hand. Within seconds, all the energy rushed to that spot and the feather began to smoke at first before it was set aflame by Tara's literal anger towards it "Oh, oh, oh! Oh no!" She quickly dropped it and began to step on it to put out the fire.

"I do believe that was magic my dear" Gandalf chuckled.

"What did you do to it?" Anya bent down and examined the charred remains of the feather.

"I don't know" Tara looked bewildered "I tried to make it float using a spell I knew, just a quick one to a goddess and it didn't work. I got a little frustrated, just a teensy bit, and when I touched that staff" She pointed to the staff, afraid to touch it again "It was like the anger became fire and 'poof'! Feather on fire"

"It would seem that you still have the ability to use magic, and I feel that you have yet to show your power" Gandalf observed Tara "But it seems like you cannot use magic the way it was used in your world, as your gods and incantations do not exist in our existence. Yet you managed to do magic when you touched my staff. I believe that you would have your power no matter which world or universe you are in but you can only use it in the way that all magic is used in that place"

"So what does that mean?" The two young women said in unison.

"It means that with training, you can come to use the magic of this world as you wish" There was an amused look now playing on the old wizard's face "And as long as I am in Rivendell, I am willing to teach you, to instruct you about the ancient languages and the magic that flows through our world"

"You mean like school?" Anya looked daunted by even the thought of learning ancient languages to learn enchantments. Tara, on the other hand, had a sudden glow on her face. A wizard was offering to teach her how to use the magic she wanted to understand!

"That would be a-amazing!" She clasped her hands together in an excited manner "W-When could we start?" Anya held back a laugh at how eager Tara suddenly was to learn magic. It was pleasant to see her enjoying her freedom to use magic.

But Gandalf never got the chance to answer the excited child before him as the sound of hurried feet and shouting in the distance caught their attention. Stepping out of Tara and Anya's room, they saw a woman more beautiful than any they had yet seen, an elf, hurrying in their direction. Her large blue eyes were somewhat distressed and her dark brown hair was disheveled. She bore a long scratch on her cheek as well "Arwen?" They heard Gandalf whisper in confusion.

"Frodo!" She shouted once she spotted Gandalf "I have brought Frodo but…He has been wounded by Nazgul!" The one named Arwen was looking more troubled by the second. Tara and Anya registered the shocked look on Gandalf's face and then turned to look at each other. Wasn't Frodo the name of the guy who was meant to be bringing this all powerful One Ring to Rivendell?


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, sorry for the wait. Here's the next chapter and a massive thank you to the people who have reviewed!**

-x-x-x

Anya and Tara had watched as they brought the small creature known as a hobbit into one of the many rooms in Rivendell, following in Gandalf and Elrond's footsteps as they joined the latter. The woman named Arwen had stepped aside for Elrond, who the young women would later find out was her father. And like this all three, elf maiden and mortal women, watched as the the wizard and the elf worked on the hobbit. He looked almost exactly like a normal human, aside from his small stature and abnormally large and hairy feet.

"Will he be alright?" Tara piped up after a while of pure silence and urgent shifting. Maybe there was something that she could do to help.

At first it looked like no one was going to asnwer her but Gandalf's eyes finally shifted to her while he pushed some hair from Frodo's forhead. But it still took a few seconds before he said anything as if he was weighing out the words carefully "He was poisoned and Lord Elrond has done what he can. We must allow Frodo to rest now" His eyes swerved to back to the hobbit.

"Arwen" He said after yet more silence "What of the others, where are the other hobbits?"

"Aragorn will bring them here" The she-elf sighed, seemingly happy to finally make herself useful in some way "By nightfall at the soonest. It did not seem like they were dangerously harmed in any way"

Elrond finally straightened up "Then we must prepare for them. You two" He said to Anya and Tara suddenly "would do well to assist in any way possible in Frodo's recovery, it will help you better understand the rest of Middle Earth that your people have secluded themselves from" For a moment both of them wondered what Elrond meant until they remembered that Elrond and the rest of Rivendell thought they were from some kind of dying race of humans. Only Gandalf knew the truth.

"Help?" Anya quirked an eyebrow "Well if you've got any alochol to pour on his wound, I'd be happy to-"

"It's alright" Tara's hand very quickly dropped on Anya's shoulder in worry "I'll be more than happy to help. If I can learn about the different medicines, I'm s-sure I can be very useful" The young witch knew much better than to let Anya anywhere near severely injured people, especially in a world they didn't completely understand. Anya too stepped down without a fight after hearing that it would involve more learning and memorizing, glad to leave the work to the more eager Tara.

Arwen had been watching them with mild interest before she calmly introduced herself and offered to take the two women to get something to eat as well as to prepare for when Frodo's other companions would arrive.

-x-x-x

And their arrival had been an interesting one indeed. Aragorn and the hobbits had arrived just a little after the night came, just as Arwen had predicted. Before they had showed, Tara's lessons with Gandalf had begun and Anya had taken to exploring the rest of the Rivendell, even coming across Bilbo Baggins who was rather interested to talk to Anya about where she came from after he was certain that Frodo was safe. Luckily, she had only spoken to him for a brief time before she was whisked aside by an excited Tara, babbling about the fascinating things that Gandalf was teaching her. For Anya, it just sounded dreary.

It was then that three hobbits and what looked like a mortal man swiftly strolled in through the entrance. They immediately stopped, looking at the two women before them, who were clearly not elves. The man was attractive, even Tara had to admit despite her preference for the other gender, and Anya's eyes clearly had no qualms about agreeing. But before either of the two mistified women could say a word, the man spoke first.

"Who are you?" His voice held gentle surprise, matching the look on his face and it only appeared to hypnotize Anya further as an attempted flirtatious smile crossed her face. She stepped forward, unaware that all three hobbits were staring at her.

"We, my friend and I, are kind of guests here" Anya said, pulling Tara forward with her "We got lost here in Rivendell and have been allowed to stay for now. My name is Anya, and my friend Tara has been helping to look after the little hobbit-" She didn't get to finish her sentance for the second time that day when one of the hobbits cut her off.

"Where is Frodo!?" He demanded, concern washing over his curiousity.

Ever the peace keeper, Tara raised her hands slightly as a gentle smile found it's way to her face "He's asleep right now, and he might be a for a while but he's alive and safe. N-Now, what's your name?"

"Sam, Samwise Gamgee I'm...I'm...Mr. Frodo's gardener" He finally lifted his chin in what was attempted pride after the relief of Frodo's safety had crossed over the group. But Tara continued to smile and Anya, finally taking her eyes off Aragorn, chuckled.

"I am Peregrin Took, but you can ah, call me Pippin" A brunette hobbit with curled locks now stepped forward, looking at Tara eagerly, if not admirably. Seconds later a blonde hobbit with equally curly but shorter hair stood shoulder to shoulder with the one called Pippin "And this is Meriadoc Brandybuck"

"Ah, Merry actually" The blonde added, elbowing his friend in no-so-subtle manner but looking at Tara equally as admirably. It made both Tara and Anya exchange amused looks, especially in Anya as she realized that the two hobbits had immediately taken a fancy to Tara.

_Boy, are they barking up the wrong tree_, Anya thought in amusement. Her own fanciful look crossed her face as she looked at the mortal man again "And you must be Aragorn" She grinned and almost extended a hand before she reminded herself that greetings were slightly different in this world. Not to draw anymore attention, she bowed slightly instead.

He looked like he was about to ask how they knew until his eyes landed on someone behind the entire group, a mixture of relief and some kind of longing there. To Anya, he kind of looked like a lovesick puppy, perhaps minus the puppy part. As she looked to where his eyes had, she saw the beautiful Arwen standing at the top of some steps. And understanding slowly followed her shock and surprise; it looked like this world had it's own taboos and expectations. Immediately, she dropped her infatuation with the attractive Aragorn, the last thing she wanted was to get in the middle of a messy love story.

Being no fool when it came to love herself, Tara was beginning to sense the atmosphere between Aragorn and Arwen, so she placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and looked at all the hobbits "Do you want to go and see Frodo? Or maybe Gandalf?" At the mention of the wizard, the halflings seemed more than surprised, as did Aragorn. Clearly they were not aware of Gandelf being here. Tara was becoming more confused by the moment.

-x-x-x

As the days went by waiting for Frodo to recover and wake up, there was definitely no lack of activity ing Rivendell. As soon as Lord Elrond had been informed that Aragorn had arrived, he sent out an order to call a council. What kind of council it would be, the girls had no idea, but they too were busy to have the time to ponder it for long. Tara's learning sessions with Gandalf would take up most of her day, with mild explosions or clouds of smoke rising from wherever they had gone to train out of sight, mostly due to the curious antics of a Brandybuck and a Took. However, Tara was getting to have a fondness for Merry and Pippin that whatever time she had spare from her lessons or providing any extra help to mending Frodo, was spent listening to their hilarious tales of troublemaking and their home, The Shire. It sounded like an adorable and peaceful place to Tara, a place she told herself she would one day love to see.

As for Anya, eventually she too was convinced to at least learn some history of the world they were. The first devasting news to her was the minor role money seemed to play in this universe; everything looked expensive but no one seemed to take any notice of it. But a lot of her time was spent wandering around Rivendell, looking at whatever information she could find. Despite coming across many books that were, unsurprisingly, written in Elvish and not being able to read them, she found out enough to understand the bloody history of the ring. It made her glad that something like this didn't exist in their world, or even the slayer might not have been enough to od much. But it made her all the more terrified about her and Tara being there, she didn't want to get involved in another battle that might kill her again. The broken sword on display next to the painted wall had fascinated her and she had even come across Aragorn there once, which had led to a very confusing situation where Anya, after getting no answers about the sword, had asked if he and Arwen had 'boinked' and he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Remembering what people had always told her about questions that were too personal, Anya finally chose that time to listen and back down without explaining what she meant. But somehow her questioing of swords had led Aragorn to believe that she wanted to learn how use one. Lo and behold his surprise when she proved to be somewhat efficient in using one, although her skills needed fast sharpening.

"And then he's like 'Hey I can teach you to do it better'! Okay maybe not those exact words" Anya said to the raised eyebrow that Tara sent her way as she was wiping a cloth over Frodo's forehead. Anya had tracked down the witch after her sword game. Rubbing her neck in frustration, contradictory to the peaceful day surrounding them, she added "I can use a sword, I'm just not very good at it"

"And maybe that's why he's offering to teach you" Tara straightened up.

"Yeah but he's also got a plateful of forbidden love to deal with and being all sulky, it is _impossible_ to miss, heck it's almosy unbearable being around his miserable ass-" She cut herself off "Was that too insensitive?"

"Just a tad" Tara chuckled without looking up, more than used to Anya's blunt statemnts. However, her voice made a slight gasp when the hobbit shifted a couple of times "I think he's waking up! Get Gandalf" She looked urgently at Anya who was already bolting for the exit. Tara meanwhile, stayed until Gandalf had arrived and eventually left her mentor to sit with his friend alone, going to try and track down Merry and Pippin to give them the good news about Frodo.

-x-x-x

Meeting Frodo had been a brief and pleasant experience. Anya and Tara both gaged him to be like the other hobbits, just slightly more troubled than the hobbits that came with him. But he was more focused on talking to Bilbo and, as Tara suggested, getting some rest before this supposed council.

They had seen the different races arriving from a high balcony in their room, wary to get to close to be seen by them. They were intimidated by the different types of life that lived on Middle Earth, even by the the small group of men that had arrived. But they were more than happy to observe from far away.

"Oh look, more elves" Anya pointed out, her eyes firmly set on the dashing creatures riding in on their horses. Tara followed her friend's trail and found her looking at one particular blonde, young elf. Her light snort had caught Anya's attention as the fomer demon looked at her "What?"

"Are you gonna be attracted to every male here?" Tara giggled.

"Oh god no, I'm not attracted to Elrond, am I?" She shivered slightly at the disturbing thought. Clearly humans and elves did have relationships, Aragorn and Arwen were proof of that, but Anya still needed to adjust to the idea of it; in their world it had been treated weird enough that Anya was a former demon and she was with Xander. Clearly, people weren't as prejudiced here, at least it seemed that way.

"Right, one or two strikes don't effect the entire lot" Tara muttered, looking with some delight at the dwarves, they were almost like what she would have imagined them to be; really small and really hairy but carrying what looked like everything but the kitchen sink. Anya hadn't answered her and carried on staring at the handsome elves until both women decided it was time to rest, they had not been invited to this secret council but since Gandalf and Aragorn were both going, it left Anya and Tara the next day to hang out with Sam, Merry and Pippin who were also a companion short as Frodo had been invited to the meeting.

-x-x-x

It was the last thing that either Anya and Tara had expected to be doing, hiding with the hobbits as they spied in on the meeting. Naturally, Merry and Pippin had become curious about what it was about and run off before Tara could reason with them. Sam quickly followed, thinking about what might happen to Frodo and perhaps slightly offended that he was not invited to a secret meeting. The two young women had stupidly followed them to try and convince out of it and were now stuck watching as silently as they possibly could; Tara with Merry and Pippin and Anya crouching close to Sam with an irritated but curious look on her face.

They heard a great deal during this sneaking, as well as witnessed; both women and hobbits were startled by the sudden shaking and darkness when the one called Boromir tried to touch the ring, as well as his suggestion to give the ring to Gondor, which Tara assumed was his home. Anya was shocked to discover that Aragorn was actually the heir to being the King of Gondor as well as the descendant of the man named Isildur, whom she had learned had taken the ring from the evil Sauron, and everyone sensed the unease between Boromir and Aragorn. But perhaps the biggest shock came when Elrond demanded that the ring be destroyed, and Boromir's description of Mordor sent shovers down both women's spines. Merry and Pippin had actually looked at Tara with concern when theyb heard how loud her gulp was.

But shocked them, truly to their core, was when Frodo was the one to volunteer to destroy the ring. Tara felt a rush of admiration for the brave little hobbit _He's doing more than was expected of him_ She thought in sadness.

Anya too was concerned but she showed in a different way _Well, he's gonna die, way to step up to the plate buddy_ It was mostly a worry for the young halfling than anger, she had seen him do more than a normal person would have done.

"I will help you bare this burden Frodo Baggins" Gandalf spoke up in the throng of stunned people as he walked towards the young hobbit "As long as it's yours to bare" Somewhere in her chest, Tara felt her heart drop. If Gandalf was going with Frodo, that meant that he was leaving Rivendell, and her barely started lessons with him would have to end. With a heavy heart, she watched as more people declared their help to the two man group.

Aragorn rose from his chair "If by my life or death, I can protect you, I will" He kneeled before Frodo "You have my sword"

"And you have my bow" The blonde elf Anya had been eyeing up the night before stepped forward.

"And my axe" Gimli, they had heard his name to be, approached the group. And clearly neither elf nor dwarf was happy to be in the company of one another.

Slowly but surely, Boromir spoke up "You carry the fate of us all, little one" He looked around distastefully "If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done" Everything that happened afterwards seemed like a blur to the girls when they later looked back on it.

Sam couldn't contain himself any longer and ran out from his and Anya hiding place "Hey!" he shouted.

"Sam! Get back here, you small person!" Anya impatiently peeked out from behind the plants, looking sheepish at getting caught under the eyes of all the others. But Sam simply looked over his shoulder at here, beside Frodo, and then to the others.

"Mr Frodo's not going anywhere without me"

There was amusement in Elrond's voice "No, indeed. It is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not" Anya shifted slightly when Elrond had also looked at her when saying that.

"Oi!" Tara jumped at the shouting of Merry "We're coming too!" And as the pair ran, just slipping past her fingers, she felt like she had no choice but to follow them "You'd have to sernd us home tied up in a sack to stop us" They skidded to a halt before Elrond, along then side of the group and Tara was turning slightly red with embarrassment at being found out.

"Anyway" Pippin began in an authorative voice "You need people of intelligence on this sort of mission...quest...thing!" He continued eventhough he was clearly just making a bigger fool out of himself.

Merry looked at hism cousin in disbelief "Well that rules you out Pip" He nearly grunted. Tara, caught between embarrassment and giggles, decided that she had no choice as she now looked down at the four hobbits and then to Gandalf.

"Then I'm g-going t-too" She stuttered, clearly catching everyone around her off guard. It was strange for the meek mortal woman who had been wondering around Rivendell for days to suddenly look so determined.

"Tara!" And everyone's heads swiveled round to look at Anya who looked halfway between anger and disbelief "Are you crazy? You could die! Don't you think we've lost enough already" She strolled in quick steps to the slightly taller woman "It's not our world" She muttered much quieter so that less people would hear.

But Tara had a pleading look in her eye "But we're here now" Tara then notioned to the hobbits "And I can't just leave them for some reason. Besides, I have to go to where Mr Gandalf is going I can't just let my lessons stop now. I'm g-going" Despite the stutter once more, the determination was beginning to creep into Tara's face. She wasn't going to make Anya come, she knew she couldn't that but there was no stopping Tara now.

"But...I...Ugh!" Anya let out a frustrated sigh after looking wildly between everyone to avoid the look in Tara's eyes "Okay! Fine! We'll go! What?" The frustration was slowly moulding itself into mild humor as Tara's eyebrows flew up "You weren't expecting me to stay here and let you go without me, were you? Somebody's gotta keep you outta trouble" There were no more words between the two women, only an exchange of grateful smiles and approving looks from some of the onlookers, while others were confused as to who the two wild women were.

"Eleven companions" Elrond looked between them all and each one of them subconciously stood a little straighter when they were dubbed a group "So be it, you shall be the fellowship of the ring" There was a semblence of pride and perhaps admiration in Elrond's voice.

Naturally, there was one who had to ruin the moment as Pippin looked around them all "Great, where are we going?"

-x-x-x

"I still cannot believe we're going this" Anya grunted as she strapped herself into the leather clothes that had been provided for them "This is not glamourous at all" She pointed to the brown, tight fitting material. Maybe it wasn't her expensive earth clothes but she secretly couldn't deny that she looked good wearing it. The little chain mail that had was also light which allow her to move quickly.

"Well you could have worn something like this" Tara smooth out the green/blue dress-like armour she had been given by Gandalf. He had called it a robe and in some ways it was similar to his attire, just slightly more flattered to the female body with fewer layers so she could move quicker.

"No thanks" Anya laughed after a pause "I don't wanna look like a Hogwarts reject" She chuckled at her own joke, not noticing the small frown on Tara's face. After finally getting everything sorted thanks to the help of Arwen who had been watching their conversation with amusement and confusion, Anya found it was very comfortable in reality "Well it's better than my jeans I guess"

"You said it" Tara gave a turn, making the material fan out around her. Her robes had a leather corset for her protection but she still felt a little unsafe. How did Buffy always seem so confident going into battle with just a tank top? And as she thought of Buffy, her thoughts trailed to Willow. What would Willow think if she saw Tara now? Revived not long ago and heading off to almost certain doom once again. However, Tara couldn't explain why she felt it was the right thing to do...she just did.

And though she was reluctant to talk about it, Anya felt the same way. If she hadn't she wouldn't have agreed to come along; she would have just tied Tara up and knocked her out to stop her from going, like the characters in earthen cartoons often did.

"Be careful" Arwen looked between them both.

The girls spoke in unison "You'd better believe we will" They were certainly in no hurry to die and would avoid it if they could.

There was a cough from the door "My ladies, we are almost prepared to set out" Aragorn quickly looked between them both and avoided eye contact with Arwen before he set off off again, the blonde elf Legolas close on his heels. Tara and Anya didn't have a chance to exchange looks before the dwarf known as Gimli halted before them.

"Well come, come, my ladies, we haven't got all day" He waited until they were out of the room and ushered them out to where the other companions were gathered. Many, starting with the hobbits, stopped what they were doing and stared at the two girls as if stunned. While Tara shrunk away from this attention, Anya seemed to be enjoying it.

"I still have to learn to use a sword properly" Anya joked and nearly winked at her company, contradicting what she had said to Aragorn "Anyone wanna teach me?" A gentle tap to the sword now holstered at her side.

While Aragorn only rolled his eyes, almost realising the game Anya was playing, Boromir stepped forward with a small bow "I would be honoured my lady, it is not often to see a mortal woman using a sword" But he too had a look on face that suggested he better than to fall her innocent act.

Anya shrugged "You'd be surprised" But their banter didn't go on much further as Elrond appeared shortly after Arwen and everyone gathered closer together.

"The ring-bearer is setting out on the quest of Mount Doom" Elrond said, a lot more serious than he had been at the end of the council meeting and so everyone was now looking sombre "And you who travel with him, no oath nor bond is laid to got further than you will. Farewell and hold to your purpose. May the blessings of elves and men and all free folk go with you" He gestured to them, his expression becoming more gentle as he spoke. Tara and Anya joined with the others as they bowed to him.

"The fellowship awaits the ring-bearer" Gandalf leaned slightly on his staff, Tara putting on a half smile in her place next to the old man. Slowly with a burdened face, Frodo began to walk past them all, ready to lead the way. As everyone filed out, Tara took her space behind Merry and Pippin, placing her hand on the shoulder of the nearest hobbit, to which Merry looked back and gave a reassuring smile.

Anya followed behind Tara and in front of Legolas. Turning around, she said casually "You can feel free to stare at my ass. It looks really good in this" There was casual smile on her face until Tara turned around and slightly tapped Anya on the shoulder, saving Legolas from some serious confusion "What? I was just being friendly" Anya half laughed at the eye roll from Tara.

"Yeah, okay" Tara couldn't hold back her own laugh. But the women became silent as they noticed Rivendell shrinking away behind them . Each of them drifted of to their own thoughts, trying to push away any regrets about coming along on this journey to save the world.

There was no going back now.


End file.
